Plugs, in particular charging plugs for charging electric vehicles that are connected via a cable to a charging station, conventionally comprise a locking element by means of which the plug is connectable or fixable to a mating plug, which may be arranged on the vehicle side or on a charging station. The locking element is preferably in the form of a lever. When the plug is plugged in, the locking element is opened and automatically latches into a mating contour of the mating plug. The latched-in locking element is conventionally released by applying pressure to the rear end, remote from the plugging face, of the locking element, making it possible to lever the front end of the locking element, on which a latch hook for latching the locking element onto the mating plug is formed, counter to the pressure of a spring, in such a way that the locking element can be released from the latching thereof and thus the entire plug can be removed or withdrawn from the mating plug.
In plugs known thus far, the locking element is generally fully mounted in the housing of the plug, in such a way that the locking element, apart from the front end of the locking element comprising the latch hook and apart from an operating point on the rear end of the locking element, is fully enclosed on all the side faces thereof by the housing, in such a way that the locking element is covered by the housing. As a result, however, the plug is of an undesirably large size.
Plugs are further known in which the locking element is not integrated into the housing of the plug, but instead the locking element is arranged so as to be exposed on the upper face of the housing of the plug. However, locking elements arranged in this manner generally have insufficient protection against adverse environmental influences, such as dirt and/or water, which may freeze at low ambient temperatures. If dirt and/or water penetrate into a joining gap between the locking element and the housing, the functionality of the locking element may be impeded. If the water located in the joining gap freezes, a pivot movement of the locking element is no longer possible, and so the plug can no longer be released from the mating plug.